Digital Commons Network^™

Analyzing Environmental Education In Northern Mississippi And Its Impact On Student Outcomes, Vishnu S. Gadepalli

Honors Theses

This thesis examines environmental education in public high schools in northern Mississippi, investigating how educators describe its presence, delivery, and institutional support in communities disproportionately burdened by environmental harm. Seven semi-structured interviews were conducted with high school teachers across four northern Mississippi schools, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed through iterative thematic coding under Institutional Review Board approval. Five themes emerged: opportunistic curricular integration, time and standards as overriding structural constraints, passive institutional support, student receptivity tempered by limited awareness, and significant variation across school contexts with one magnet school as a clear outlier. The study concludes that environmental education in these …

Bridging The Gap Between Career Expectations Versus Labor Market Realities, Reinette P. Madrid, Grethel T. Ledesma, Ignatius Aryono Putranto, Jyro B. Triviño

Leadership and Strategy Faculty Publications

Most students lack awareness regarding the labor market outcomes for their chosen college majors. This study aims to answer what factors affect the career expectations of graduating students at Quezon City University and how these expectations align with the prevailing labor market situation. It employed descriptive, causal, and explanatory research using a sample of 108 respondents from fourth-year information technology students for the school year 2021 to 2022. Eight of the nine null hypotheses were rejected by employing multinomial logistic and linear regression. Student fixed effects and other labor market outcomes significantly predicted salary, estimated stability, and estimated skills in …

Southern Adventist University Undergraduate Catalog 2026-2027, Southern Adventist University

Catalog, Undergraduate

Southern Adventist University's undergraduate catalog for the academic year 2026-2027.

Kinesiology Department Chairs’ Perceptions Of Their Training And Preparation, Kason O’Neil

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Department chairs are responsible for leading academic departments in higher education.  These individuals regularly make important decisions regarding such things as managing faculty and academic programming, overseeing budgets, and supporting student needs. Despite these responsibilities, many people become department chairs without receiving formal leadership training. This study explored how kinesiology department chairs across the United States viewed their preparation for the role and the importance of leadership training. A total of 111 department chairs completed an online survey about their background, previous training, and the importance of training for different administrative responsibilities. The results showed that most chairs had little …

The Downstream Effect Of Gender Bias On Academic Performance And Career Aspirations Amongst Female Students In Stem Via Gender-Professional Identity Integration (G-Pii), Chi-Ying Cheng, Shuna Shiann Khoo, Shih-Fen Cheng, Yeow Leong Lee, Vandana Ramachandra Rao

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Background Gender imbalance in STEM, characterized by a significant underrepresentation of women, remains a significant challenge. Although gender bias is a well-known contributor to women’s attrition from STEM, the psychological mechanisms linking gender bias to departure are less well understood. Our research investigates early antecedents of attrition and the psychological processes that precede leaving the STEM pathway in tertiary education. Drawing upon identity integration research, we propose that perceived gender bias exerts undermines female STEM students’ academic performance and career aspirations by reducing their Gender-Professional Identity Integration (G-PII), a construct that captures individual differences in the perceived compatibility between a …

Expanding Ai Literacy: The 5cs Of News Literacy In The Era Of Generative Ai, Seth Ashley, Adam Maksl, Paul Cook

Journal of Media Literacy Education Pre-Prints

This article adapts the 5Cs framework of news literacy—context, creation, content, circulation, and consumption—to media environments shaped by generative artificial intelligence. We argue that prevailing discussions of AI literacy overemphasize technical or functional competencies while underemphasizing the social, cultural, political, and communicative systems in which AI operates. Drawing on previous research, we define AI literacy as knowledge of the technical, social, and ethical dimensions of AI-mediated content production, distribution, and consumption, along with the critical capacities needed to exercise agency within those processes. We show how the 5Cs can be reinterpreted for generative AI environments and integrate pedagogical implications for …

Using Scenario-Based Generative Ai In A Social Studies Methods Course, Timothy Lintner, Ellis Reeves

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Artificial intelligence (AI) is quickly transforming the landscape of educator preparation. This shift is especially evident in social studies. As emerging technologies like AI reshape how social studies is taught and learned, it is essential to incorporate them into course design and student outcomes. Simply put, we must ensure that the next generation of social studies educators can effectively use AI to create real-world, scenario-based learning experiences that foster inquiry and encourage student action-taking. This article examines how AI-supported, scenario-based learning was strategically integrated into a secondary social studies methods course at the University of South Carolina Aiken. From concept …

Academics’ Experiences Of Integrating Open Educational Resources Into Study Guides In Sri Lankan Distance Education, W.M.A.P. Sandamini Fernando, Fareed Mohamed Nawastheen

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

Open educational resources (OER) can provide additional learning materials for distance education students. However, limited research has examined academics’ experiences of using OER in distance teacher education study guides. This study examined academics’ perceptions and experiences of integrating OER into the study guides of the Postgraduate Diploma in Education programme at a university offering open and distance education in Sri Lanka. The study used a survey design with 30 purposively selected academics involved in developing courses for the programme. Data were collected through a questionnaire containing 25 items rated on a five-point scale and three open-ended questions. The responses were …

Horticultural Diplomacy: A Framework For Growing Culturally Aware Gardeners, Stephen Stresow-Cortez, Stephen Reiners, Ashley Miller Helmholdt

Journal of Extension

Derived from person-to-person diplomacy models, a ``horticultural diplomacy'' framework was implemented in a statewide vegetable variety trial program for two seasons to introduce Master Gardeners to diverse crops and cultures. Scaffolding learning with relevant recipes, bed groupings, community tasting events, and collecting community (citizen) science data helped participants build garden skills, gain a greater appreciation for other cultures, and inform new educational materials. Horticultural diplomacy is part of a deliberate effort aimed at growing food and building understanding among (primarily White) volunteers. The techniques that helped make this program successful, adaptable to other garden programs, and aspects that require improvements …

Divergent Geographies Of Disadvantage: Multidimensional Poverty And Teacher-Deployment Priority Across Ghana's 261 Districts, Bismark B. Fermah, Cai Lianyu

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

Ghana relies on two district-level rankings of disadvantage to guide equity policy: a census-based multidimensional poverty index and a teacher-deployment priority list. Because the deployment flag conditions on classroom overcrowding, the inverse care law predicts the two should diverge, yet policy treats them as interchangeable. This study examined whether the two rankings identify the same districts. This descriptive ecological cross-sectional study linked the 2021 Census multidimensional poverty statistics to the 2026 Teachers for All: Ghana classification across all 261 districts and 16 regions, applying Welch's t test, two one-sided tests of equivalence against pre-specified margins of 10.0 and 4.8 percentage …

From Homes To Classrooms: Cultural Wisdom As A Guide For Stem Lesson Planning, Miriam Ortiz, Uma Ganesan, Angela Chapman, William Medina-Jerez, Ruby Lynch Arroyo, Mourat Tchoshanov

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

This article describes innovative elementary science instructional approaches based on cultural wisdom developed by preservice teachers enrolled in a teacher preparation program at a university in the U.S.-Mexico border region. As a part of a larger study, three Latina preservice elementary teachers were a part of a teacher residency in conducting community interviews and reflection activities to uncover cultural backgrounds that could inform culturally relevant STEM lesson planning, centering on family and home knowledge. This project began with family interviews during winter break and culminated in lesson planning and implementation during their science methods course in the spring semester. The …

2026-10-01 Caudill Connection, Morehead State University. Caudill College Of Arts, Humanities And Social Sciences.

Caudill Connection

Caudill Connection newsletter for October of 2026.

Hear My Voice As Who I Am: Theorizing The Essence Of Poetry In Holistic Global Citizenship Education, Shue-Kei Joanna Mok

Journal of Contemplative and Holistic Education

Poetry as an imaginative language art has long been perceived as the core of humanity, the foundation of human advancement (Arnold,1880; Rorty, 2007). By composing, critiquing, and sharing/performing poems, not only does the process enrich and deepen one’s relationship to oneself, understanding and reflecting on the contextual, historical, cultural, social, and creative backgrounds of the poems and poets allows one to have greater connections with the broader environment across temporal, spatial, and social dimensions with human and non-human beings.

This paper first frames the core concepts and values of global citizenship from a Confucius perspective to emphasize the significance of …

Contemplative Pedagogy, Mindfulness And Reflection In Teacher Education, Karen O. Ragoonaden Dr., Leslie Shayer

Journal of Contemplative and Holistic Education

This study explores the intersections of contemplative pedagogy, mindfulness practices and reflection in education. Contemplative pedagogy and mindfulness practices were introduced to three cohorts in teacher education, in graduate education, and in professional development education. This pedagogy and the practices provided a time, a place and a community to engage in personal and professional reflections about teaching and learning. The themes identified in this study demonstrated that engaging in contemplative pedagogy in a nine-week mindfulness course provided increased opportunities to reflect on self-awareness, on wellbeing and on the professional practice of education. The qualitative results of this study indicate that …

Generative Artificial Intelligence, Academic Integrity And Authentic Assessment Within An Irish University, Louise Nagle, Brigid Crowley, Laura Rafferty, Susan Horgan, Colin O'Brien

Publications

Academics need both an overarching policy on Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) use in teaching and learning, yet agency in its application across various disciplines. Clarity on the use of the technology for both students and staff is therefore a challenge and characterised by uncertainty given how its application is still unfamiliar. This research examines the organisational context in which Gen AI is being embraced and was conducted by the digital teaching support functions within an Irish university. Students and staff were surveyed (n=1,746) on various aspects of digital use within their education and workplace, including Gen AI. …

Editor’S Introduction, Michael D. Pante

Philippine Studies: Historical and Ethnographic Viewpoints

No abstract provided.

“Playing Mental Gymnastics”: Exploring Black Women College Athletes' Mental Health Experiences At Historically White Division I Universities, Ezinne D. Ofoegbu

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

Between 2002 and 2022, over 125 college athletes died by suicide, and Division I athletes represented 45% of these deaths. In 2023, Black women college athletes at Division I universities identified racism as a mental health stressor at a higher rate than their non-Black peers. The intersectional nature of social identities and athlete status may create gendered and racialized stressors that are uniquely experienced by Black women athletes. Given the underrepresentation of Black students (i.e., athletes and nonathletes), coaches, faculty, and staff at historically white institutions (HWIs), Black women athletes are likely navigating campus relationships and environments that are shaped …

Owning The Mission: Reconciling The Past, While Implementing The Science Of Reading In An Education Preparation Program, Paula J. Adams

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

This reflective inquiry examines the first year of a two-year initiative to more explicitly align an established educator preparation program with the Science of Reading (SoR). Situated within a small private university in New York State, the article considers implementation as both curricular revision and institutional change. The process included faculty professional learning, curriculum mapping, alignment of student learning outcomes, revision of common course assessments, development of SoR-aligned models of candidate work, and consideration of clinical experiences. Particular attention is given to tensions that emerged around policy fatigue, academic freedom and responsibility, differing professional cultures, candidates’ prior experiences with literacy …

Multiple Experiences Of Co-Creation, Alison Cook-Sather

Teaching and Learning Together in Higher Education

No abstract provided.

The Heterogeneous Impacts Of The Residential Component Of A Training Program: A Semi-Parametric Analysis, Jun Cai, Alfonso Flores-Lagunes, Xintong Wang

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

Several training programs worldwide are residential, bringing enrollees to live in facilities and thus increasing program costs. In the U.S., the Job Corps (JC) program for disadvantaged youth includes a residential component. Despite extensive literature evaluating JC, the impact of the residential component has received limited attention. We develop and employ a semi-parametric model to estimate the average causal effects of this residential component, accounting for selection into both the program and the residential feature. Our findings indicate that, for JC enrollees, the residential component boosts earnings, employment, and educational degree attainment among adolescents. For other subgroups, the residential component …

Liberal-Progressive Education Discourse: The Dynamics Of Practice And Agency In Contemporary Thai Education, Omsin Jatuporn

Journal of Education Studies

Critical education research in Thailand has accumulated substantial knowledge about ideological reproduction mechanisms, yet a theoretical gap remains in explaining the dynamics of teacher and student agency and everyday negotiation. This article pursues two objectives: first, to critically examine liberal-progressive education discourse and structuralist critical education frameworks shaping Thai education reform, highlighting limitations of approaches that view schooling merely as ideological reproduction and educational culture as rigidly authoritarian; second, to reconstruct new possibilities for critical education in Thailand through alternative theoretical frameworks that recognize teacher and student agency. The discussion points are presented based on four Thai educational studies that …

Spectrum, Volume 57, Issue 2, Sacred Heart University

Newspapers (Obelisk & Spectrum)

Highlights include:  Building the Future -- Pouring on Park Ave! --  The RD Is In -- College is More Than Classes -- Family Weekend Schedule -- Rowing Revamp from Bow to Stern

Humanity, Ai, And The Pedagogy Of Vince Gilligan’S Pluribus, J. Scarlett Kingsley

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

This review discusses the tv show Pluribus as a contemporary television narrative that functions as an allegory for artificial intelligence and its implications for human meaning-making. Centering on Carol Sturka, one of thirteen individuals immune to a alien global virus that merges humanity into a cooperative “Hive Mind”, the series explores tensions between autonomy and collective well-being in a “peaceful apocalypse.” The analysis argues that the Hive Mind reflects key concerns surrounding AI, including the production of knowledge without understanding, personalization without discernment, and efficiency that bypasses the struggle through which meaning is formed. Drawing on John Searle’s distinction between …

Class(Room) Culture: New Conceptualization And A Model Of Culture-Aware Teaching, Ravit Heskiau

International Journal of Transformative Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

As higher education becomes increasingly personalized and students’ individual identities are increasingly considered, this article explores the concept of classroom culture as part of assessing, embracing, and shaping each class’s shared characteristics as a collective. I define classroom culture and explain why it is paramount for educators to understand the unique cultures of their classes and actively assess them, striking a balance between supporting classroom culture and shaping it. Following a critical literature review, I demonstrate the application of commonly used cultural frameworks from the organizational culture literature to higher education classes. Specifically, I expand on how they can help …

2026 - Faculty & Staff Research Symposium, Elizabeth Outka, Lidia Radi

Faculty and Staff Research Symposium Programs

[Excerpt from the "Welcome"]

Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to the third Faculty & Staff Research Symposium!

The Symposium offers us the chance to come together as a community and learn about the inspiring work happening across our campus. Faculty and staff continue to push the boundaries of research, to design and maintain new learning and gathering spaces, to craft remarkable art and performances, and to develop innovative programs that enrich our collective experience. The event is meant to spark curiosity, build connections, inspire partnerships, and open new pathways for exploration. . . .

This symposium is your creation — it thrives …

A Quantitative, Causal-Comparative Study Of Black And White First-Year, First-Generation Students’ Adaptation To College, Shaunell Carter Mcgee

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this non-experimental, quantitative, causal-comparative study was to determine to what extent adaptation to college differs between Black and White first-year first-generation college students. The significance of this study lies in addressing limited literature examining the differences between Black and White first-year, first-generation students’ adaptation to college and offering insights that could be used as a basis to inform strategies for ensuring successful transition to and retention of these students in higher education. The sample included 149 participants aged 18-25 enrolled in an undergraduate four-year degree program at University A, located in South Georgia in the United States. …

A Phenomenological Study Exploring How Leaders At Acsi-Accredited Christian Schools In North And South Carolina Implement And Integrate A Biblical Worldview, Terry A. Richards Ii

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative phenomenological study explored how leaders at ACSI-accredited Christian schools in North and South Carolina experienced integrating a biblical worldview. The study examined the strategies leaders considered effective, the challenges they encountered, and the approaches they used to foster collaboration among school leaders, faculty, and families. Using in-depth interviews to explore and illuminate the experiences of nine Christian school leaders, this study analyzed participants’ accounts to identify recurring themes. The findings indicated that participants understood biblical worldview integration as an intentional, schoolwide process rather than isolated religious tasks assigned to key activities, Bible classes, or chapel services. Participants also …

Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Men Who Voluntarily Remain Childless, Sylvia Joan Muglia

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe men’s experiences choosing to remain childless in Southeast (Detroit) Michigan. The theory guiding this study was Blackstone’s Theoretical Framework on Voluntary Childlessness. Rich, descriptive data were collected using a short demographic questionnaire and twelve semi-structured interviews that answered three research questions guiding this study: (1) How do men in Southeast (Detroit) Michigan describe experiences choosing to remain childless? (2) How do men in Southeast (Detroit) Michigan recount any impact from adverse childhood experiences which contribute to their decision to remain childless? (3) How do men in Southeast (Detroit) Michigan explain the …

The Exploration Of Nutrition And Mental Health Among Retired Female Sergeant Majors, Renee Michelle Mcmillan

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative study investigated the nutrition and mental health of seven retired female United States Army Command Sergeant Majors (CSM) and four retired United States Army Sergeant Majors (SGMs). Transcendental phenomenology was used in this study along with George Engel’s Biopsychosocial Theory (BPST). The study examined how dietary food choices converged with cognitive behavior, body image, restrictive eating, and the stress accompanied with transitioning from military to civilian life. Four themes and 11 subthemes emerged from this study. The findings indicated an integration with nutritional interventions, mental health services, family-focus education, and faith-based programs. These findings may help retired female …

A Framework For Teaching Maya Aspect System: Pedagogical Strategies For Maya Grammar, Quetzil E. Castañeda

Journal of Maya Heritage

Abstract. Maya, an Indigenous language spoken primarily in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, remains under-resourced in materials for second-language and heritage-language learners. Its agglutinative morphology, split ergativity, and aspect system pose particular pedagogical challenges, especially when Maya grammar is explained through Spanish or English tense categories. Based on a critical review of existing teaching resources and the author’s more than twenty years of experience teaching Maya, this article proposes a pedagogical framework for understanding its aspect grammar. Rather than organizing verbal morphology around tense, the framework distinguishes four principal conjugational forms: Ongoing Incomplete, Simple Past, Completed Present, and Subjunctive. It also introduces …